Norville 'Shaggy' Rogers
' Norville "Shaggy" Rogers' is a fictional character on the American animated television series Scooby-Doo, about the adventures of four crimesolving teenagers and Shaggy's pet Great Dane, Scooby-Doo. He is a cowardly slacker more interested in eating than solving mysteries. Shaggy is the only Scooby-Doo character (besides Scooby) to appear in all iterations of the franchise. He is given the name (or nickname) "Sammy" in all French dubs of the animated movies. // Character Shaggy's Name came from the shag hair style. Shaggy is 96, Shaggy closely reflects the 1960s era in which the original Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! series was created, particularly in his manner of speaking (like he often punctuates his sentences with the word "like") and his appearance—he is lanky, with shaggy brown hair and a rough goatee, and typically wears a green T-shirt and brown bell bottoms. Thus, he embodies elements of both the beatniks of the early 1960s and the hippies of the late 1960s, with the primary inspiration for the character coming from Maynard G. Krebs, a beatnik character played by Bob Denver in the early 1960's sitcom The Man ☀''y Loves of Dobie Gillis''.123 Shaggy has been also shown wearing a red shirt and blue jeans in four 1980s Scooby-Doo productions: the Saturday morning series The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo and three TV movies: Scooby-Doo Meets the Boo Brothers, Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School, and Scooby-Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf. In Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase, a TV movie about the Scooby-Doo characters meeting artificial analogues of themselves in a virtual reality environment, Shaggy's double wears the red shirt and blue jeans that the character wore in the 1980s. Both Shaggy and Scooby-Doo have nearly insatiable appetites,4 and are readily bribed by Scooby Snacks, as well as tendencies towards goofing off and cowardice. They justify their constant hunger by saying, "Being in a constant state of terror makes us constantly hungry!". However some believe[who?] the pairs constant eating is a subtle reference to munchies, a result of marijuana consumption[citation needed]. Due to these similarities, Shaggy typically treats Scooby as a normal person rather than his pet. Shaggy uses his catch phrase "ZZOOIINNKKSS!"5 (although 'Zoikes! ' was once prominent) whenever he's surprised, scared, or embarrassed, which is frequently. Because of Scooby and Shaggy's cowardly nature, a running gag is that every time they split up to search for clues they always end up getting chased around by the monsters (Shaggy actually states in one instance "Split up and look for clues. Gotcha. See you when the monster chases us.") His other catchphrase is "GAAANGWAAAAY!" when Scooby and Shaggy see a monster or before a chase commences. Although usually considered a coward, Shaggy often proves useful in ferreting out the monsters and ghosts that are usually at the heart of the gang's mysteries (sometimes by reluctantly acting as "live bait" for a trap), and providing a necessary distraction for their eventual capture (the plans almost always go wrong and he and Scooby are then chased for longer periods of time). Shaggy also has athletic, disguise, and ventriloquism skills which often help the gang. On a couple of occasions, he took his disguise skills so far he even dressed up as Scooby-Doo himself (in the "Never Ape an Ape Man" episode of Scooby-Doo, Where are You! and the 2003 What's New, Scooby-Doo? episode "A Scooby-Doo Halloween"). Shaggy is also a miniature golf champion from the '60s, and was described by Daphne as "the swingingest gymnast in school," in the pilot episode of Scooby-Doo, Where are You! ("What a Night for a Knight"), as he helps the gang break into a museum by leaping from the top of a ladder and swinging through an open window a few feet above. In the episode, "Mystery Mask Mix-up," Shaggy claimed to know Judo, but this was most likely a bluff. Also, in the episode "Bedlam in the Big Top" (episode 10, Scooby-Doo, Where are You!) Shaggy describes himself as a "track man" who can run very fast. In the series A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, Shaggy is called "Norville" by his dad. Originally, "Shaggy" was merely a reference to his appearance, which resembled shag carpeting. However, in Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue!, it is implied that the nickname "Shaggy" comes from an abbreviation of the name "Shaggleford," the last name of Shaggy's rich uncle and quite possibly his middle name. Performers Matthew Lillard as Shaggy in Scooby-Doo.Shaggy was originally voiced by radio DJ Casey Kasem, who continued in the role for twenty-eight years. Kasem later became a vegan, and requested that Hanna-Barbera change the Shaggy character's (expansive) diet to reflect this. Kasem then left the role after he was asked to perform the voice for a Burger King Kids' Club commercial in 1995.6 Kasem would later retire from radio and voice acting in 2009 after voicing the character for seven more years. Five Shaggy portrayers auditioned to replace him, these included Nick Palatas, Matthew Lillard, Scott Innes, Scott Menville, and Billy West. In the end, Lillard won the role. Billy West and Scott Innes (who also voiced Scooby for a time) briefly took over the role in several of the direct-to-video films produced in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In 2002, Kasem returned to the role for The WB's new Scooby series What's New, Scooby-Doo?6. At his request, Shaggy was made a strict vegetarian, although he continued to eat excessively. In the live-action films Scooby-Doo (2002) and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, Shaggy is portrayed by Matthew Lillard. Scott Menville assumed the role of Shaggy in 2006 for Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue's temporary replacement. As such, Shaggy is no longer a vegetarian. *Casey Kasem (1969-1997, 2002-2009) *Billy West (1998) *Scott Innes (1999-2002) *Scott Menville (2006-2007) *Matthew Lillard (2002 and 2004 live-action films, 2009-present as a voice actor) *Nick Palatas (Scooby-Doo 3: The Mystery Begins, Scooby Doo 4 (TBA) ) Characteristic dialogue *Zoinks! or Zoikes! (see phrase number 3) *Like, no way man! (when told to be bait, generally) *T-t-t-th-th-the ghost! (when the villain is encountered) *Gang way! (when running from the villain) *What is it, Scoob? *Scoob! Old friend, old buddy, old pal! *Scooby Doo! Where are you?! (when looking for Scooby) *Check out that crazy house, Scoob! *Maybe there's food inside! (food is encountered when they enter its kitchen) *Like, Scoob, please tell me that was you. (when a growling noise is heard, apparently made by the villain) *Like, let's get out of here! *Like, hey Scoob! *Like, let's say we already checked and didn't find anything. *SCOOOB! *Like, wow! (when he finds something) *Hey Man! Relatives Relatives of Shaggy shown during the series include:7 *'Mr. & Mrs. Samuel Chastain "Mom and Pops" Rogers': Shaggy's parents. Shaggy's father is a police officer. At one point, Shaggy's parents lived in Plymouth, Massachusetts. *'Maggie Rogers': Shaggy's sister. *'Wilfred': Maggie's fiancee/husband, and Shaggy's brother-in-law. *'Gaggy Rogers': Shaggy's uncle, who likes to play practical jokes. *'Uncle Shagworthy': Shaggy's rich uncle. Not only does he look like his nephew — he has the same appetite and cowardice. He keeps his most precious possession (food) in a secret refrigerator with valuable jewels. *'Great Uncle Nat (Nathaniel)': Shaggy's great-uncle. *'Uncle Beauregard': Shaggy's uncle, who died, and left his entire fortune and his Southern mansion and plantation to Shaggy, in his will. He was referred to in Scooby-Doo Meets the Boo Brothers, although he never made an appearance. *'Fearless Shagaford': Shaggy's uncle, who owns the Fearless Detective Agency (see Fearless Fosdick) *'Uncle Albert Shaggleford': Shaggy's rich uncle, an inventor who's only appeared in Shaggy and Scooby-Doo Get a Clue! In A Pup Named Scooby Doo, Shaggy is shown to have an infant sister named "Sugey". Love interests *'Googie': In Scooby-Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf (1988), Shaggy has a girl who acts as a steady love partner and rides along with him. Scooby and Scrappy help him out when he is entered into a monster car race. She seems to be more involved in the relationship than Shaggy, who of course finds food more important, though they do show signs of affection such as hugging and Shaggy has the onions held from his hotdog on their date. This was her only appearance in the series. Googie was voiced by B.J. Ward. *'Mary Jane': In the feature film, Scooby-Doo (2002), Shaggy comes across a girl named Mary Jane who loves Scooby Snacks but is unfortunately allergic to dogs. She is turned into a monster but is saved when Scooby and Shaggy tip over a tub of spirits while fighting off an evil, super-sized version of Scrappy-Doo. Director of Scooby-Doo Raja Gosnell says the reason for Mary Jane not appearing in the sequel Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed is that the relationship wouldn't have worked out because of Mary Jane being allergic to Scooby. Mary Jane was played by Isla Fisher. *'Crystal': In Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders (2000), Shaggy meets a girl named Crystal who claims she and her dog Amber are wildlife photographers. Later at a restaurant, the gang is shocked to find out that Shaggy is so love-sick he did not want anything to eat. While the gang is eating, Shaggy daydreams a musical scene called "Groovy" about getting married to Crystal and living with her. Then living together in a house with "Shaggy Jr.", Scooby, Amber, and their puppies. Eventually it is revealed that the two are government agents from a far away planet and the girls leave Scooby and Shaggy heart broken, but Velma saves the day by giving them Scooby Snacks making them forget about Crystal and Amber, or at least calm the pain of their heartbreak for them. Crystal was voiced by Candi Milo. *'Mei Ling': During the events of the What's New, Scooby-Doo? episode "Block-Long Hong Kong Terror", Shaggy began a relationship with Mei Ling, daughter of toy maker Harold Ling and professional Chinese acrobat. After his "Duck Guy" broke before the events of the episode, Mei gave Shaggy her "Duck Girl" as a token of affection. During the episode in question, she saved both Shaggy and Scooby numerous times from a Chinese Dragon. Mei Ling was voiced by Moira Quirk. Jeffrey P. Dennis, author of the journal article "The Same Thing We Do Every Night: Signifying Same-Sex Desire in Television Cartoons," said that several commentators argued that Scooby and Shaggy are a homosexual couple, citing Saturday Morning Fever authors Kevin and Timothy Burke. Dennis argues that while Scooby and Shaggy hunt for ghosts together, they are not a homosexual couple since they do not engage in activities as a couple, share living spaces, or express any romantic feelings towards one another. Dennis said that their habits of jumping into one another's arms when threatened would usually be a sign of cowardice rather than affection.8 Martin Goodman of Animation World Magazine responded, stating that "Any serious reading of this section in Saturday Morning Fever (pp. 105-111) quickly reveals that the Burkes were, in a most un-academic fashion, goofing" and "As for any specific statements on the sexual orientations of Scooby and Shaggy, the Burkes plainly dismiss the issue: “Sometimes a cartoon character is just a cartoon character” (p. 106)."9 Category:Fictional detectives Category:Scooby-Doo characters Category:Mystery Inc.